Oar brake



2 Sheets-Sheet 2. B. P. GROW.

OAR BRAKE. H a

Patented May 17, 1887.

gwwwbo'c en kmm 1 63 024 N PETERS. PhoIwLilho (No Model.)

I UNITED STATES PATENT Tr er.

BENJAMIN F. CROW, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FREDERICK B. BROl/VNELL, OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 363,319, dated May 17, v1887.

Application filed August 25,1886. Serial No. 211,8l8. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. Gaow, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri,have

invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Oar-Brakes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which-- Figure l is a bottom view of the runninggear of a street-ear with my improvement applied. Fig. 2 is aside elevationof same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of different parts of the brake disconnected. Fig. 4 is a verticalsection through one of thebrake-shoes, showing the connecting arm or red in elevation. Fig. 5. is a face or frontview. Fig. 6 is a top view. Fig. 7 illustrates a modification of the bracket.

My invention relates to certain improvements in brakes intended more particularly for street-cars, but may be used on all cars; 7 and my invention consists in features of novelty, hereinafter fully described, and pointed 2 5 out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the running-gear of a car.

B represents the shoes, bearing against the wheels of the running-gear, as usual. shoes are provided on their faces with grooves B, that receive the flanges of the wheels, so that a bearing is had over the entire surface of the periphery of each wheel. The two shoes on each side of the car are connected by a lever, O, and arms D, the arms being pivoted at their outer ends at D to the shoes and at theirinnerends at D to the lever, the arm of one ofthe shoes being pivoted to the lower end of the lever and the arm of the other shoe being pivoted to the upperend of the lever. Each arm is preferably made in two parts, one of which screws into the other, as shown in Figs. 3, 4., 5, and 6, so that by removing one of the connecting rods or bolts D D the arm may be lengthened or shortened to adjust the shoes to or from the wheels.

The lever O of each series of brakeshoes on each side of the car slips over a non-circular end, E, of a rock-shaft, E, the socket 5c in the lever fitting over the end E being of a The v shape corresponding to the end of the shaft upon which it fits. WVhen each lever has been thus placed upon the end of the rock-shaft, it is held in place by a sleeve, F, havingasoeket corresponding in shape to theend of the shaft upon which it fits. Next to the sleeve F fitsa bracket, G, which receives the round end of the shaft E, and by which the shaft is secured to the bottom of the car, so that it is thus allowed to turn freely, as well as being securely 6c held to the car. The sleeve could be dispensed with and the non-cireular part of the shaft that receives the lever be made quite short, and the lever would then fit close up against the bracket. The form of bracket shown in Fig. 3 will spring, permitting the shaft E to move laterally slightly, so that in case one shoe touches awheel before the other the bracket will spring away from that wheel, bringing the othershoe against the other wheel, and thus the shoes are automatically adjusted to bear with equal pressure against their respective wheels. This form of bracket is for use when itis located between the wheels; but when it is located out 7 side a stiff bracket, like that shown in Fig. 7, would be used.

I have described the method of holding one of the levers or a lever on one side of the car upon the rock'shaft, and the lever on the other side is held in place in the same manner.

Each shoe is suspended from the body of the car by a rod, H, having a crank on its upper end, which fits in a bracket, H, by which it is secured to the car-body, and which has upon 8 5 its lower end a crank that fits in the perforation or hole 13 in the upper end of the shoe. Each shoe is thus suspended and is free to swing to and from the wheels.

When the brakes are to be applied,the shoes 0 on each side of the car are operated simultaneously by turning the shaft E, and as a means for turning the shaft, I have shown it provided with cranks or arms I, to which are connected rods I, extending to opposite ends 9 5 of the car, where they areconnected in the usual manner tohand shafts or rods J. It will thus be seen that when one of the shafts J is turned to apply the brake, the roolc-shaftE will be turned, and the two shoes on. each side ICO of the car will be forced from each other and caused to bear against the front and rear wheels, respectively, and at the same time the two shoes on the other side of the car are operated in the same manner. When the brake is released,the shoes are removed from contact with the car-wheels by means of a spring, M, connected to a short arm, M ,on the rock-shaft E and to the car-body, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. a 1" In order that the shoes may be held a uniform distance apart and neither of the shoes allowed to get outsideof its Wheel, I connect them by a tie-rod, U, passing through perforated projections or lugs U cast upon the shoes, there being two nuts, IT, on each end of the rod, one on each side of the shoe, (see dotted lines, Fig. 2,) and thus the shoes are held the proper distance apart with relation to each other.

I claim as my invention- A The combination, with the four wheels of a car, of the brake-shoes, hangers suspending each independently of the other, the rods con necting the shoes upon opposite sides of the 25 car in pairs, and separate mechanism on each side of the car for forcing the shoes against the wheels, said mechanism being situated between the wheels in the planes of the wheeltreads, substantially as and for the purpose 30 set forth.

BENJAMIN F. CROW.

In presence of- GEO. H. KNIGHT, EDW. S. KNIGHT. 

